Regarding the toilet paper panic, i have a theory that the UK media showed pics of people buying it in bulk from Costco, which i think is the only way to buy it in UK Costco stores, this went viral and lead to people panic buying it. It doesn`t explain the bottled water panic buying, as we have decent water on tap here, as i`m sure James Woodcock will confirm.

I don't get the TP hoarding thing at all either except when it's framed as control. A pandemic is nothing any of us can control. It's out there and could strike anyone at any time. What reaction can you have where you feel some semblance of control? Fortifying your home. Buying things to make you feel like you're taking active steps. Doesn't matter if those things don't make a whole hell of a lot of sense, just that they give you some modicum of control over the situation.

What drives me bonkers isn't people buying a little more of the essentials, but those who overbuy everything to the point that they leave nothing for others. No one needs a year's supply of TP and hand sanitizer. Half the chicken that has been bought will be thrown out in six months due to freezer burn. Tap water is just fine, so binge buying five cases, 40 bottles each, of bottled water is both a waste of money and environmentally unsound. React by stocking up? Fine. Overreact as if we're going into bomb shelters that won't be cracked open for 50 years? Insane.

The TP hoarders are going to good to go if the next pandemic involves explosive diarrhea. Otherwise, there's no point. Its a respiratory illness. Hoarding nasal tissues and Emergen-C would make sense. But not toilet paper and hand sanitizer. Or bottled water.

In short, the toilet paper panic is in case you find yourself stuck in your home on short notice and perhaps are in short supply. It's nothing to do with anything specific to the disease. No judgment on the rationality of it all, just an explanation.

As someone working in a grocery store at the time its just plain insanity. Our shelves are empty a combination of confirmed cases in the area school closings and the national closures... and of course social media insanity.

Other stores near by are in the same shape as well.

The panic will get worse as people come in see bare shelves since grocery stores have limited delivery days and none were prepared for the near overnight panic that happened here. You simply can't restock. So then that becomes an excuse for these people to lose their shit in the store.

The governor here is trying to figure out how to close or limit bars with all of the college kids w free time the college town bars are exploding w business.

Hoarding nasal tissues and Emergen-C would make sense. But not toilet paper and hand sanitizer. Or bottled water.

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Hand sanitizer does make sense. Why would you think it wouldn't?

Plans here now to make all over-70s self-isolate for up to four months. My 70-oddd year old parents were still fairly blase about the virus up to a few days ago. Can't see my father in particular paying any attention to a rule like that unfortunately.